Sacred Verse Secular

What I mean by the statement “Sacred versus secular” is that some believers, tend to go about their lives as if it is split into two categories of activity. They might think that there is a sacred part of their lives where they do things like pray, read their Bibles, go to church and hang out with other Christians. They then might classify other parts of their lives as secular, things such as work, business, money, paying taxes, or who they vote for.

This is never usually stated as an overt belief but tends to work itself out in the way they behave and the expectations that they carry into those spaces. For instance, they might have a high expectation that God is going to do mighty things in the church service or Christian conference that they are about to attend, or that the presence of God is going to be evident as they read their bible and pray. Yet when it comes to going to their workplace on Monday morning, their expectation of God showing up or them being aware and engaged in His presence might be much lower.

The Psalmist was captured with the revelation that there is nowhere in the entire cosmos that God's presence was not (Even Hell). One of the definitions of secular is “God void” or “where God is not”. We can see from the testimony of scripture that this just isn't true, God is as present with you in your office on Monday as He is in worship on Sunday. The presence of Jesus does not say goodbye to us at the door of our homes as we leave for work.

This should encourage us greatly with regard to God's presence and power being available to us in the marketplace. God wants to lead and help us to solve the challenges in the business as much as He wants to minister to us as we read His word in our devotional time.

I invite you to join me in a prayer today around this sacred versus secular mindset:

Father,

I thank you that you are gracious and patient with me, you invite me deeper into your mind and heart. I want to see things with your eyes, help me to cast off any old ways of thinking that would try and separate my life into these two boxes of sacred and secular. I declare that every part of my being and life is sacred, filled with your presence and goodness. Help me Holy Spirit to be as aware of you on Monday as I am on Sunday. I know that as I come into this revelation deeply it is going to change the way that my marketplace calling is walked out. I love you and thank you for this kingdom calling in and to the marketplace in Jesus' name.

Amen